Reading Not Stitching

As I've said I've been reading. This is good news for the sad, sad number of books I've been averaging per year but bad news for the stitching. I haven't taken a stitch since February! This is what I've read so far this year. I've given a star rating out of five. (You will see that sometimes a Pulitzer Prize winner gets the same number of stars as a memoir or mystery. I am judging the books against their type rather than each other.)

January 9 The World's Strongest Librarian: A Memoir of Tourette's, Faith, Strength, and the Power of Family, Josh Hanagarne (****) A memoir by a librarian with Tourette's, a love story to books and libraries. A conversational and funny exploration of how Hanagarne tries to control his Tourette's.

January 11 The Underground Railroad, Colson Whitehead (****) A great many echoes of African American literature haunted my reading of this book. Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man, for example, shows up in the movement from place to place signifying historical moments. While Ellison's work is about alienation, Cora seeks to find community because in doing so she will mark her own humanity. (Lots of reviewers compare Cora's stay in the attic to Anne Frank, but y'all Harriet Jacobs (Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl) stayed in an attic for seven years while escaping slavery.) I read this book for a book group, and I liked it much better after I had the chance to talk about it.

January 23 Normal, Warren Ellis (**) I really didn't enjoy this one. I didn't think it was well-written, and I wasn't that interested in it. Sci Fi is not my thing.

January 23 Zoobiquity: What Animals Can Teach Us About Health and the Science of Healing, Barbara Natterson-Horowitz (****) The big thesis of this book, that physicians can learn about human medicine by reading the work of veterinarians could have been handled in a short academic paper. What I found so interesting about this book were the fascinating examples and ties between the human and other animals. If you have a medical or scientific background, you might not enjoy it as much as I did.

January 25 Ceremony, Leslie Marmon Silko (****) I read this for a book group, and it wasn't clear how it met the theme of the club, but it was a beautifully written exploration of the lives of Native American WWII vets.

February 1 Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal (***) I was fascinated, but then again, I'm fascinated by the pictures I get biennially of my colon.

February 9 Touchstone, Laurie R. King (****) I was charmed by Harris Stuyvesant, the lunkish-appearing American detective gallivanting through the country houses of England. Deftly plotted.

February 10 A Long Way Home (***) What a remarkable story. Although there was a lot of repetition, it was utterly compelling.

February 14 Is Everyone Hanging Out without Me? Mindy Kaling (**) Light and fluffy. I haven't really seen Kaling in anything, so I wasn't particularly attached to her as a writer or actress.

February 20 Pretty Little World, Elizabeth LaBan and Melissa DePino (***) Great beach read. I loved the ending, where we find some nice, perhaps philosophical, conclusions. What we gain--and give up--living communally.

February 26 The Bones of Paris, Laurie R. King (***) The sequel to Touchstone, good read. This book was not as well-plotted nor the characters as well-drawn as the first in the series.

March 5 The Book of Speculation, Erika Swyler (****) Um, I meant to read The Department of Speculation but this speculation was really very good. A librarian, a book, a family mystery, and an old house crumbling into the sea. Enjoyable.

March 9 The Zookeeper's Wife, Diane Ackerman (***) This book needed a judicious editor, but the story of the family--which I am sure is the only part that ended up in the movie--was captivating though harrowing. But there was far too many asides...seriously at one point she's talking about one of the friends of the Zabinskis who was an entomologist who gave his bug collection to a museum and I think she names all 30,000 bugs. Individually, with nicknames and dates of birth. It got in the way.

March 18 The Moor's Account, Laila Lalami (****) This books was so imaginative--the historical representation of a slave on an ill-fated expedition in Florida in the 16th century. Marvelous.

April 19 Between the World and Me, Ta-Nehisi Coates (*****) Beautifully written. How different the world is for people. You may think we are all living in one America, an equal America, some sort of meritocracy, but Coates demonstrates powerfully that we are not.

Started, will not finish
The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight, Thom Hartmann This was assigned for my work book club, with the theme of sustainability. I had so many objections to this book, as did my group. Anyway, I couldn't finish it in time for the group, and I refuse to finish thereafter.

Started, will finish
Founding Gardeners: The Revolutionary Generation, Nature, and the Shaping of the American Nation, Andrea Wulf I started this on my trip (Kindle edition) but the book expired and I had too many other books to read on deadline (for three book clubs) that I just couldn't get to it. I'll re-borrow it this summer.

EcoMind: Changing the Way We Think, to Create the World We Want by Frances Moore Lappe This was also for the sustainability book group. I felt so bad about hating Last Hours so much, I read a little less critically. Still, this book is much less all-or-nothing than some environmental books about how we should be living our lives. (I'm very close on this one.)

The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer, Siddhartha Mukherjee. I was listening to this one on audio and there was a horrible skip in it. So I am waiting for a new edition.

The Mothers, Brit Bennett. I couldn't get into this book at first, so I missed the book group meeting. But eventually I grew to be interested in the characters and the gossipy mothers who begin each chapter. Still, I might have to put it aside to read the last book for my sustainability book group.

I am planning a trip to the stitching store this weekend. I am going to buy what I need to stitch the anniversary sampler. I'm hoping that will get me back into stitching.

Art Nouveau in Cross Stitch Review

So today I randomly grabbed Art Nouveau in Cross Stitch. I thought that's clever; it will complement the William Morris review since art nouveau springs from the theories of Morris. And then it turns out the same woman wrote both books. Sigh. Now it just seems inevitable.

Again there is an introduction to the period and the artists. These patterns are also symbols with color. There is also a brief tutorial section at the end.

If you start flipping through from the front, you will leave the book on the shelf. You will be completely misled. The first two patterns are my least favorite. The first is a gold and blackwork version of a Mucha poster. It is so ugly I can't articulate it. She gives me the creeps. The second is some red sunflowers which just leave me cold. They probably aren't horrible, but not great.

Turn the page, and WOW! the piece de resistance a peacock rug based on the work of William de Morgan. It's just fabulous! I bet you could scale it back to be a large picture. The colors, the peacock itself...it's like the opposite of the Mucha: I'm speechless with wonder.

Klimt's golden spirals decorate a frame project. I like the idea of this better than the execution. I think I'm put off by the metallic floss used. (Did I say that in the last review? I feel like I said that in the last review.) There are also some small projects that match this larger piece.

There's an interpretation of birds on a vine by Tiffany mounted in a box coupled with a Tiffany landscape of a sailboat on a lake framed by wisteria and irises.  These are both pictured on the cover, and are, I think, really quite well done. I think you can recognize them as Tiffany even without all the suggestive lamps on the cover!

The book includes several interpretations of flowers, among them a pillow decorated with snowdrops. Walter Crane's flower ladies--daffodil, poppy, and anemone--remind me of those DMC fairies. A little clunky, not quite as lovely as Nora Corbett's flower fairies. Another section offers a trio of Art Nouveau flowers--iris, tulip, and columbine--framed in the flowing borders of the period.

Vysey fabric informs a project that features two swans and stags in a landscape that is mounted as a clock. The trees on this one are fantastic. The hands are surrounded by a medallion of flowers above, bluebirds circle the  motto, "Time Enough." It's quite a nice project; though I can't imagine where I would put it or for whom I might make it. Oh, I love the way those trees look.

Several projects offer interpretations of Mackintosh roses including a portrait of a woman, two pillows, and another clock (a square with roses in each corner). Work by Mackintosh's wife (Margaret Macdonald Mackintosh) is also included; a picture based on "The White Rose and the Red Rose," which is a very yellow picture of two women. The cross-stitch project offers a rather loose interpretation of the colors of the original. Which is gorgeous. And golden.

The book ends with six pages of smalls patterns and five pages of border patterns. If you like the art nouveau style this section alone is worth the price of the book.

I hope this isn't too boring. If I had had more time, I would have written a tighter piece. Unfortunately, it was our turn for Sunday dinner. You can't eat a book review.

Free-Range Thinking

This year, one of my resolutions is to read more. I didn't read nearly enough books last year, though one of the ones I did read was Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's Free-Range Knitter. I enjoyed it because it overlaps with things I've been thinking...but she's a real writer who spent the time to flesh out her ideas.

In "Ken" she takes on the phenomenon of the crafter y-chromosome. You know, how the media covers them more or their towns put together shows for them, or in her example, how women swoon all over them like the male knitter is "a valuable racehorse." She extends her critique of our low expectations of men to women who gush when men "help" with the housework or "babysit" the kids. She concludes,

The next time you see a man knitting, try to treat him like he's not exceeding your expectations or walking on water, even if you are sort of impressed and really have to fake it.
Remember if you can do it, so can he.

I think when I start writing about this, the top of my head gets all explode-y. (I remember Maggie...have I told you this one? When the dude and I were living with my cousin and commuting three hours a day, Maggie and my aunt came to take care of my nieces while my cousin and her husband were out of town. I would come home, and to help my aunt out, I'd make dinner for the adults. After dinner, the dude would do the dishes. Maggie says, "I hate to see a man do the dishes. He worked hard all day." Um, hello? Maggie was the only one of us who hadn't worked hard all day, but don't mistake what she said for an offer.)

In "Knitting Self-Esteem" Pearl-McPhee posits that we have individuals and whole cultures trying to undermine our self-worth, and that knitting takes us to a place where we are good enough simply because we knit.

When I knit well and make beautiful things, it reminds me that I'm a winner* and a person who gets things done...Knitting could be a phone line that rings straight into the kitchen of your inner self and says, 'Hello? I just wanted to call and tell you that you're wrong about me. I'm great, and I have the socks to prove it.'

I think that's what the marquoir does for me. In fact, the marquoir reminds me of writing my dissertation. It was a huge, unfathomable project that I got done by sheer perseverance--sometimes writing every day, sometimes leaving it to languish for (gasp!) years. I didn't get my dissertation done in the "average" time, and I haven't gotten the marquoir done on the schedule of the designers (16 months). But in the end, I (will) get it done. In some ways I'm more of a long distance runner; I certainly have endurance. Certainly there are times when my tiny self esteem worries that we'll never reach the finish line.

I had to return the book before I could flesh out all my ideas about it, but it's worth picking up if you haven't read it yet.


*In the pre-Charlie Sheen sense.

Bookish Sunday

Remember how I said I wouldn't inflict my book reading tastes on you? Well, I lied. I've been all over the internet for a  book meme but this was the only one I could find that won't take days to complete. (I guess I could just have written a regular post, but now that I'm halfway through the month, it seems like a tradition.) {There was one that had 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die, but I'd only read an embarrassing 80-something--compare to the dude who has read 228. He however doesn't think much of the 1001-Before-You-Die lists.}

ABC Book Meme

For this meme, you list a favorite book that starts with each letter of the alphabet. If you don’t have a book for a letter (such as Z or X) then you can substitute a favorite book that simply has that letter in the title (ex. The Lost City of Z or Hot Six by Janet Evanovich). However, you can only do this a maximum of 3 times. (Z, X, and Q. But not Z, X, Q, and V.) Books can be of any genre from fiction to non-fiction to poetry to textbooks. 


A: Alias Grace, Margaret Atwood
B: Bone, Fae Myenne Ng {B was really hard to choose--many good books start with B}
C: Cloud Nine, Caryl Churchill
D: Dracula, Bram Stoker
E: Empire Falls, Richard Russo
F: Foxfire: Confessions of a Girl Gang, Joyce Carol Oates
G: Golden Notebook, Doris Lessing
H: The History of Love, Nicole Krauss
I: Importance of Being Earnest, Oscar Wilde
J: Joys of Motherhood, Buchi Emecheta {heartbreaking}
K: K is for Killer, Sue Grafton {cop-out}
L: Lysistrata, Aristophanes
M: My Brilliant Career, Miles Franklin
N: The Naked and the Dead, Norman Mailer (I know, he doesn't seem like he should be on this list {shrug})
O: Oliver Twist, Charles Dickens
P: Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, Annie Dillard
Q: How to Make an American Quilt, Whitney Otto {I'm sure there are better ones that I'm not remembering}
R: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, Tom Stoppard
S: Subversive Stitch, Roszika Parker
T: Tess of the D'Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy
U: Uncle Tom's Cabin, Harriet Beecher Stowe
V: V, Thomas Pynchon (though Vineland came close; you have to love a novel that begins with a defenestration) (or not, but I do)
W: White Noise, Don Delillo
X: {I'll come back to this; I seem to have used my X for F} Edited: Hitchhiker's Guide to the GalaXy, Douglas Adams. I enjoyed these when I was in college, and once fell for a boy who showed me Betelgeuse and said something about Zaphod Beeblebrox. Apparently, I was easy.
Y: Yellow Wallpaper, Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Z: Zombie, Joyce Carol Oates (I had to force myself to turn pages.)

More Martha Martha Martha

Last year, I reviewed Martha Stewart's Encyclopedia of Crafts, complaining about the horrible exclusion of our beloved hobby.

Recently, she came out with Martha Stewart's Encyclopedia of Sewing and Fabric Crafts. This one, dear reader, includes us. I borrowed this from the library, and I thought I'd review it before I got a hefty fine.

Martha has learned a thing or two about the encyclopedia format. This book is divided into four sections: Getting Started, Basic Techniques, the Projects, and a glossary.

Interestingly, Martha begins the book with an acknowledgement of the team of craft editors. Happily refreshing. In a little note to the reader, Martha tells how she learned to sew from her mother, like so many of us, and at school, like many more of us. It was this knowledge that allowed her to wear Balenciaga and Dior and Givenchy to class in college. Indeed. How does one manage to be a DIYer and a snob at the same time? Martha continues to be remarkable, doesn't she?

Getting Started

This section explains the qualities of the different types of fabric that are available to the sewer (I apologize in advance, but that's the word we've been saddled with.) There's also a thread glossary. You might worry when you learn that it is two pages long, but one page is taken up with a lovely photo of threads, and there is much lovely photography throughout the book. The chapter concludes by offering tips for setting up a sewing area and a few of the tools one may find useful.

Basic Techniques

This section contains everything from putting together a sewing kit to preparing the fabric for sewing to hand stitches. It briefly explains sewing machines and their stitches. It moves on to explain more complicated techniques like applique, embroidery stitches--including cross stitch and French knots and even Japanese shashiko. The description she has of this technique makes it clear why it is included in the buttoned-up world of Martha Stewart: "understated appearance" "neat, uniform look." Other techniques include quilting and patchwork, dyeing--this section shows the results of bleaching various fabrics (I always get a kick out of that)--and finally printing, which includes things like stamping and stenciling.

Projects A to Z

A is for ...Animals where else but in Martha's world can stray socks be turned into "winsome dogs of any breed"?

...Aprons you should make these. They "whip up stitchity-quick." Okay, we're 20 pages in and there's not embroidery on these projects. It's all sewing.

B is for...Bags Oh, a raffia-embroidered tote! Not only do we learn the genesis of raffia, we learn it comes in a "wide range of delightfully flashy hues." Oh, Martha, you're never flashy no matter how hard you try. Here we are, 31 pages in and we finally (!) get some cross-stitch. It's a "cross-stitch silhouette tote."

...Bath Linens "It's amazing how much brighter a bathroom looks when you introduce a few hand-worked touches...As you shop for materials keep an eye to washable, color-safe trims and fabrics. Or opt for all-white accessories; you can never go wrong with their crisp, clean look." Except, dear Martha, it's all white!

....Bed Linens I'm not kidding here: buy some sheets, bleach them, then dye them. Oh, thanks!

...Bibs, blankets, and books.
C is for ...Clothing including making, remaking, and embellishing.
...Coasters Did you know you can make these out of "fat quarters." Quotation marks are hers.
...Cozies for hot water bottles, hands, and eggs. Because my eggs hate to be uncomfortable.
...Curtains.
D is for...Decorative pillows, "Pillows enliven any living space" which is remarkable for an inanimate object. This chapter might be extraordinarily useful for the cross-stitcher who likes to finish her work into a cushion.
...Dolls "While their facial expressions are neutral and their body shapes plain, they will surely come alive in the arms of a baby or small child," scaring the fuck out of them for life.
F is for Flowers several types, including rickrack flowers that are photographed on some of the most gorgeous children to walk the earth.
H is for ...Handkerchiefs a natural for our hobby.
N is for ...Nursery projects Remember how KL were outraged on behalf of HI in the last book? This time we skip from H to N. One fifth of the alphabet is up in arms!
O is for... Organizers Martha starts with fabric topped storage boxes (store bought). It doesn't seem difficult but it sure seems pointless.
P is for ...Pets Your dog needs a quilted jacket, a handmade dog bed, and an Ultrasuede coat (for when the fur coat just isn't enough). Cats simply deserve handmade toys.
...Pincushions, including "heirloom tomatoes" I actually cracked a smile. Unironically. Strawberry emeries, Mason jar sewing kits and notions made from felt leaves, including a needlebook. You might be interested in this chapter.
...Potholders "Stitch up more than a few; they're sure to make much-appreciated gifts.: Indeed this is one of the first handmade gifts I made--strip pieced I can still see the yellow and blue ones I made for my aunt Mikki (my favorite aunt); she only got rid of them when she redid the kitchen!
Q is for...Quilts and Patchwork I, J, K, L, and M can't believe they were dissed in favor of Q! But wait, wasn't this the title of a techniques chapter? I have to say I really expected more Martha-style quilts, but they're not. Maybe it's just impossible to get that button-downed look into a quilt?
S is for...Shades Just a note, every time I see directions for making Roman shades, I become convinced I will never finish the craft room.
...Slippers "This is a wonderful process, not only because it demystifies shoe-making..." does it matter where the sentence goes from here? Does this book mock itself?
T is for ...Table Linens Here's where the Shashiko shows up.
U is for...Upholstery not as daunting as it sounds, promise: "The techniques range from sewing straight seems to ...methods that require not much more than a staple gun and some batting or foam."
W is for ...Wall decor: ribbon embroidered wall hangings, farmyard applique wall hanging, embroidered letter sampler, framed patchwork star. "Bring a sense of softness to your rooms." What? The upholstery doesn't do that? ("You can work on them while curled up in a chair, sitting on the bus or train, or any time you have a few spare minutes and are feeling creative.")

XYZ
a glossary of tools and materials followed by tips and extra techniques, the ones that would have put you off if they were at the beginning of the book--making bias tape, installing a grommet, sewing on buttons and snaps, and the like.

I usually have an appreciation for the crispness of Martha's preppy style, but I think this book's style is perhaps even blander. I feel like embroidery took a real back seat tot he sewing as well. On the positive side, it's a very good book for sewing techniques.

Blackwork

Hey kids. Are you getting "malware detected" messages about my blog? I have run the diagnostics and Google tells me "no malware detected." They should remove the warning soon. But rest assured, you can visit safely. Onward...

Today, I bring you links to two different versions of the "alternative 15 sided biscornu": one by tintocktap and the version pictured here by Lady Kell who has elegantly named it the "biscofleur." {via Craft Gossip}.

This piece also leads me elegantly to the review of Monica Ferris's Blackwork. You probably thought I gave up reviewing her books, if not reading them altogether. But somehow they pulled me back in.

It's the same crowd plus some microbrewers--one of the owners of the local brew pub is accused not only of witchcraft but also of murder. So in addition to having to keep track of the needlework thread (as it were), Ferris must also remember the details associated with Wicca and microbrewing. Since my knowledge of Wicca and microbrewing are tiny compared with what I know about needlework, I'll focus on that.

First, Betsy takes a blackwork class which gives her fits. For a needlework store owner, she often seems slow-witted and maladroit. It's backstitch for goodness sake, not brain surgery! Oh sure, she inherited her shop from her dexterous needleworker sister. But how long does it take before you stop being all fumble-y? My goodness, so much time has passed that Jill and Lars got married and had two children. Get with the program, Betsy!

The teacher says that blackwork is done on evenweave, which is mostly true. Then she hands out Fiddler's cloth for them to work on. I suppose sticking with an Aida fabric is good for the easily-confounded beginners, but Fiddler's cloth? So homespun for the elegance of blackwork, don't you think? (she asks wrinkling her nose). Wouldn't you just stick with white?

Someone makes a design for a "thread manufacturer," actually, it's Shelley. No reason to keep it a secret. Then Betsy asks, "is it Herrschner's?" Maybe Herrschner's does provide floss to designers, but they wouldn't be classified as a thread manufacturer. Surely every shop owner could distinguish that. Maybe I'm wrong about this because as much as I pretend to, I don't know everything about the industry. I'd be happy to retract this criticism if I were corrected by a reliable source.

The big doozer occurs when Irene, that extraordinary stitcher, brings in a piece of needlework that is stunning yet eerie:

The darkest shades (of purple) were at the top, fading quickly to uneven swirls of pinky lavender across the middle. It was an angry sky dotted with little clusters of X's, like leaves blown in a stiff wind. Near the top, just under the darkest purple dye and cradled in a thin, uneven line of purple cloud, was stitched a white sliver of moon.

The bottom quarter of fabric was also stitched--mostly cross-stitches--in browns, tans, and grays scattered with vertical stitches that made Betsy think of a weedy lawn or garden in late autumn. In the center was a big leafless tree--the knobby, crooked limbs proclaimed it an oak--and stuck rakishly on an upright limb was...Betsy leaned over the design.

A witch's hat. From a lower branch, lifted into a curve as if in a stiff breeze, hung the skeleton of a fish, and among the lifted roots of the tree was a half-buried but very realistic human skull.

Well that's different! Irene has dyed the fabric herself, and can get Betsy "all the yardage she needs" so she can sell the design in her shop. You can imagine Betsy's reluctance. However, it's the description of the fabric that demands attention. On page 69, it is called linen. By page 71, Irene is explaining that she got a great deal on "congress cloth" when one of the local stores went out of business. At least the latter part of that sentence is accurate. (But really, shouldn't Betsy be all rankled that one of her Monday bunch has gone to the closing sale of a competitor and got 15 yards of congress cloth for $7.50? She's not.) As Spinster Stitcher has explained, Congress Cloth is "canvas lite" but not, as it turns out, linen.

Those are my main gripes with the needlework. The mystery is fairly clever and actually has an interesting twist. Much more readable than others in the series.

You can see earlier reviews here and here.

Hearts and Bones

I have been stitching a bit lately (since I got the finger turban) but mostly I've been reading. The action's been going on over here. I recently finished a historical mystery novel. Not my usual thing. I'm not going to consult the OED over this, but I am pretty sure calling someone a dumb-ass in the late eighteenth century may be historically inaccurate. And that sort of thing is why I don't normally read historical fiction of any subgenre. However, I read this one and I enjoyed it in the way one enjoys gummi candy.

If you've ever read Susan Glaspell's "A Jury of Her Peers," this novel will seem familiar. (There's even the obligatory dead caged bird.)

In Hearts and Bones, the midwife-detective, Hannah Trevor, has access to evidence that the men don't. But the best part is the needlework is the most important evidence in solving the crime! Take that Monica Ferris! Margaret Lawrence has thought about embroidery in ways I can respect. At one point someone asks the midwife Hannah if she finds embroidery useless. Hannah defends it by saying when men do useless things it's called art. And the interlocutor responds, "I perceive you do some needlework yourself, Mrs. Trevor. You defend it very well." She does; she's a quilter and the title of the book refers to the quilt pattern she is currently working.

Later, Hannah writes in her diary, "Here I draw out in part the pattern of briar roses from [spoiler prevention: a person's] crewelwork, which I saw on the pocket in Mrs. Emory's room. It is a woman's kind of proof, but proof it is, and no man would think to record it." Okay, okay, it takes Glaspell's short story and beats the dead horse. Still the pattern is kind of cool, and if I didn't have WIPs out the ying I'd stitch it up as a little rememberance of a mystery that really uses needlework as the solution.

Nancy Pearl recommended this book because it is set in Maine. Maybe I just don't know Maine all that well, or 18th century Maine, but I thought this could have been set anywhere where it snows a lot.

Book Review: Last Minute Quilted and Patchwork Gifts

If you've seen Last Minute Knitted Gifts, you have an inkling of what Last Minute Patchwork and Quilted Gifts is like. It's by the same author, Joelle Hoverson, owner of Purl, which now has a quilting division, Purl Patchwork. There are some great patterns in here, but what really makes most of these items is the fabric choice. You have to have an eye for color, copy exactly, or have a fabric store owner who can really help you if you want your things to come out half as cute. Just a warning. Fortunately for you, the book opens with an extensive lesson on color choice. Maybe there's hope.

The book is divided into chapters by the amount of time each project will take to complete. While I completely believe that the projects listed as taking 2-4 hours and 4-8 hours will take that long to complete, the 12 hour projects I am skeptical about. Mostly because some of them involve hand quilting. Every stitcher worth her salt knows any stitching takes about nine times longer than you think it will!

In under 2 hours, you could make a felt needlebook, quilted coaster (or is it the whole set?), a bird ornament (on the cover), a pillowcase, scrapbooks--is there anything you can do to screw up a Moleskine?--or a "made by" patch. Let's face it; that last one's a bit of a cheat. Would you really give a quilt patch without a quilt? Would a quilt take you less than two hours?

In 2-4 hours, you could make a whole cloth baby quilt with tiny bits of embroidery, a colored pencil holder (adorable and designed by Kathy Mack), a flannel baby blanket (hardly worth the effort), a simple bag (made all the better by the Amy Butler fabrics), pieced pillows, or a pin cushion. I bought this book for the pin cushions; they're so cheerful. And before the accident, I had planned on making a bunch as gifts. We'll see how that goes...

In 4-8 hours, you could make a puzzle ball. This is based on a ball she picked up in Lancaster County. Frankly, in 2 hours, I could drive to Lancaster and pick one up too; so that is right out. You could also make an embroidered pillow, a patchwork tablecloth and napkins, a duvet cover (though I hate duvet covers, this one has a pinwheel done in an interesting scale), a sailboat quilted wall hanging (very cute!), or an elephant--a pattern by Wee Wonderfuls.

In 8-12 hours, you could make any of a number of quilts--one that has six large panels on either side (Six of one...); one called "Just Sweet Enough" that features a lot of white with some pale yellows and pinks; One called "Cutting Corners" that is centered around one of the corners; one called "Little Bits" that is done in browns and blues and would add that je ne sais quois to our bedroom; one called "Summer Breeze" that I would never use as a picnic blanket; and one called "Stacked Coins" that I would do in a heartbeat because the colors are fabulous!

In more than 12 hours--are we still talking "last minute" at this point?--you can make a gorgeous color wheel quilt, a whole cloth quilt where you follow the lines of the fabric's pattern to quilt, a washed silk quilt, a crazy quilt of sorts, a log cabin quilt with an interesting layout, and a wall hanging that features an owl that is perhaps more complicated than it needs to be.

Hoverson, who worked as a stylist for Martha Stewart, is a natural fiber snob, especially when it comes to batting and thread. She has her reasons, so I checked with my mom, you know, the one who owned a quilt store. Mom said that you might want to use polyester batting to get a higher loft, but she over the years she quilted, she grew to love the look of quilts featuring cotton batting.

The last section of the book covers all sorts of quilting techniques; in my notes I've labeled that ++. She offers a thorough glossary that explains everything about sewing from finger pressing to blind stitching.

The photos are fabulous, and I think you can see the Stewart influence in some of the photos featuring children sleeping under quilts.

Coming soon, more reviews including Softies: Simple Instructions for 25 Plush Pals.

Monsterbubbles

At camp, one of our new friends was stitching up monsterbubbles' Eiffel Tower Christmas ornament from the (most recent?) JCO issue, which, let me tell you, was gorgeously bright. And, when I arrived home my order from monsterbubbles had arrived. Happy coincidence.

Sometime last month, I got an e-newsletter from monsterbubbles saying that her new book was available and if you bought it from her, she'd sign it. The deal also offered free shipping and a free chart for spending a certain amount. Well, how could I pass that up? I love "Don't." ("Don't let's ask for the moon, we've got the stars." Edgar can name that in one.) I know I keep saying this, but maybe that will be the dude's anniversary present. I got Merry and Bright and one of the patterns for screen as a gift. Because she sent the order out kind of late, she sent along an extra pattern, "Simplify," which may be impossible at this point.

I know you are dying to know what is in Stitch Graffiti besides that striped heart on the cover and Heather Holland-Daly's autograph. There are many of the designer's offbeat phrase designs, including "Imagine Peace," "Relish the Night," and "On a Bad Day, there's Lipstick." She has a little section called "tattoos" to stitch on clothing--to try out before you ink your skin, as it were. The final section offers ideas about decorating with stitches. Her goal, and this is one she expresses on her website too, is to bring new stitchers into the fold by showing them how cool cross-stitch can be. So the book is a little on the "hip" side. For example, there are suggestions for music to listen to while you stitch. No offense to Heather, but they're the suggestions of a 40-year old. I don't know how that's going to play with the kids. What I do like about the book and what I do think will play with the kids is the freedom she espouses. She explains how to make floss and fabric substitutions and what the substitutions mean for the design. The patterns are planned for mesh bags, flyswatters, clothing, and screen--not just evenweaves and linen. I think the book taps into the DIY nature of the way the kids are crafting these days. I hope it works. You will definitely see a design or two from this book here in the future.

And, don't stay up too late blogging tonight, okay?

Recycle, Remake, Rewear

Sissy wore this fabulous dress as the maid of honor at my wedding. Last weekend she gave it back to me. "I'm never going to wear it again, maybe you can make something out of it, like a pillow." As much as I appreciate her faith in my skill in remaking, I'm a little sad. Of course I know she's never going to wear the dress again--it is almost seven years old--but it's just a little sad that that dress won't exist anymore except in the photographs. Which is why I have a giant box of wedding dress stuck behind a chair in the bedroom--it doesn't fit anywhere else--I just have a hard time letting go of the material object.

So I turned to some of the craft books I bought recently, and bring you two short reviews based on whether they will help me remake this dress.

First up is Hip Handbags. Hip Handbags offers seven generic purse pattern with 3-5 variations--both sewing variations and fabric variations, as well as good solid instruction for using the patterns, choosing fabric, sewing and embellishing. Each bag is rated for its hipness, which is, ultimately, only a gimmick. The last few pages show "hip" artist-made bags which range from the sublime to the ridiculous. No instructions are given for these. The bag I would most likely make from this fabric is the clutch-style purse. Not sure if that's Sissy's style, though.

I next turned to New from Old: How to Transform and Customize Your Clothes. They offer three main categories: dying, embellishing, and remaking (turning a pullover sweater into a bolero, making a tablecloth into a skirt). The book contains much useful information for doing all these fabric tricks, but pages and pages about dying, four pages on dying underwear? At page 66 (of 144), I finally got to the kind of thing I was looking for. I did find two things I would definitely make for myself, including the bolero jacket from a sweater, which kept me from returning it. I find that people who do cross stitch and make greeting cards don't need much help in the embellishing area. I didn't find a particular pattern for turning a strapless, backless evening gown into anything, but I'll keep thinking.

Warm Fuzzies

Is it totally pathetic that so far the high point of my day is that I had my favorite lean cuisine (sesame chicken) for lunch? My boss is driving me nuts with her "optimistic" attitude toward work. She thinks "go along to get along" is some kind of empowering philosophical choice. I hate being here with every fiber of my being.

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The good news is that I took a look at some of my new craft books and wrote up a couple of reviews. I am way behind on reviewing, and I think some will probably fall through the cracks, but I couldn't let it happen to this book:

Warm Fuzzies: 30 Sweet Felted Projects
by betz white

I love every project in this book. You should look over some of the projects in Betz's blog to see if this stuff is for you, but I'm sort of a Mary Engelbreit fan--love the bright and whimsical--so I dig the betz white.

The book is divided into five sections: an info section, projects for the home like pillows and throws, projects for kids and pets, accessories for the home like aprons and pincushions, and accessories for you like hats and purses. In addition to working with felted sweaters, the projects use wool felt, needle felting, and shibori.

The "how to" section is fabulous. It contains tips and tricks for felting and working with the resulting material (so could have used that before I made this). It's very visual. The projects are just yummy. (Did I say yummy?) The little girl's teacup jumper almost makes me want to have kids kidnap an adorable little girl make it and give it to the first little girl I find. (Unfortunately, sizes for that project range from 2T-4T and my favorite girls are a skinny 6X and a tall 7.) I even like the cat bed, and I'm extremely allergic to cats and can't tolerate the thought of them. Not only am I attracted to every project, I really feel like I could make them all; the instructions are so clear. FYI: the patterns are part of the book (not printed separately) and most need to be enlarged.

One complaint: I have been haunting thrift shops for a while now and I just can't find the adorable wool knits like she gets. Where are all the cute wool sweaters? If only I had known, I could have kept all those things I bought at Carol Reed--I had about 30 Fair Isle and other "preppy" wool sweaters when I was in high school. They'd be so cute as these projects!

Book Review: Heartfelt

I bought this book last week as a reward for having lost 10 pounds. (Go me!) It is freakin' adorable. And I think I will finally be able to finish the felted patchwork blanket I started making for our friends who moved to Montreal four years ago. This book contains just the kind of info I need on sewing that blanket--it's had me stumped for years (except the year the scraps lived in the storage unit--I didn't think of sewing it at all that year).

This book has all sorts of projects that would make you look like you just stepped out of a Mary Engelbreit drawing. In a good way. Okay, if you don't like cute, whimsical stuff, you're probably not going to like this book. (I showed this book to Sissy and my cousin and they found things they liked and they are not into cutesy stuff.) Except for the bunny slippers. Everybody thinks those are cute. I think part of this feeling is evoked by the variety and combination of colors. This is one colorful book!

The projects, beside the bunny slippers, include two hats, a small purse, an eyeglass case, a needlebook, two handbags, a totebag, a pair of mittens, a pair of "adult" slippers (nowhere near as cute as the bunnies!), an i-pod case, four scarves, a floral barrette, bobbled elastic hair bands, heart and flower pins, a baby hat, kid mittens (featured on the cover), a boiled wool jacket for baby, a cosmic blanket, and a backpack. Patterns that must be enlarged are included in the back.

For my blog readers, who I assume are here for the stitching, almost all of the patterns involve some amount of embroidery, and I'm not just talking blanket stitch. Some is done by machine, but almost all of it could be done by hand. In fact, only one set--a purse and scarf--would require the machine. In this instance, the embroidery creates a texture (bubbles) in the fabric. Information about creating the felt you need (knitting it or recycling) is included and the briefest sketch of embroidery stitches is offered.
Photo copyright St. Martin's Press

Book Recommendation

Recently, I ordered a couple of Christiane Dahlbeck books from the French Needle: Fadenspiel and Osterfest. It was hard to choose just two of the quirky whimsical books from this designer! I'm totally in love with Fadenspiel. I'm carrying it with me every day. I just flip idly through the pages imagining all the pretty things I could stitch, you know, if I had way more time in my day for thread play.

There are about 30 patterns in this book, but really the ways you can use them are endless. Many of the motifs are shown on a variety of projects. I am a big fan of the crowns and all the hearts are so so so so cute! And a chart for ginko leaves--who'd have thought it? The path between Haverford (where I partied) and Bryn Mawr (where I studied) was littered with ginko leaves (and the unfortunately noisome berries). I might have to make something for old times' sake.

Osterfest (Easter) has lots of bunny charts, and I was charmed by the one on the cover. I'm not as thrilled with this book, but there are lots of cute things in it. I can't wait to see more work from this designer.

Embroidery: A Book Review

Last time I was at the library, I picked up three books: Games Mother Never Taught You (must read), Sand in My Bra (okay), and Embroidery: Techniques and Patterns by Marie-Noelle Bayard which I shall review for you here.

The book is divided by type of stitch including outlining, filling, counted, drawn thread, and couching.

Each stitch is clearly illustrated with photographs on its own page. Bayard gives the number of steps required to make each stitch, rates each from easy to difficult, and suggests threads and fabrics that would highlight the texture of the stitch. The book seems to have an excellent mix of easy, intermediate, and difficult stitches. While there are more than 100 stitches, it is not exhaustive; no queen stitch, for example. But there are plenty of stitches that make this book worthwhile.

And the directions for the French knot are fabulous! She lists the four main mistakes people make while making the knot, so you can avoid them and make pretty knots.

Each section of stitches culminates in a beautiful project, very lovely and sophisticated as we have come to expect from the French designers. I would caution, however, that only a single stitch is used from each section on each project, which I found disappointing.

The index is visual and alphabetical, and each stitch family is stitched on a different color fabric so you can immediately tell if you're looking at an outline stitch, a filling stitch, or couching.

You’ve Got Questions. I’ve Got Answers.

Coral wanted to know about the Better Homes and Gardens Santa Star (designed by Barbara Sestock). It's in Cross-Stitch Christmas: Handmade Heirlooms (copyright 2002). The book has about 40 patterns, including patterns for card inserts, wall hangings, pillows, stockings, and ornaments. I recognize several designs as duplicates from their other books and magazines. Some pretty good designers are included in addition to their "stock" designers. Patricia Anderle contributes one of her trademark hardanger overlay pieces and a 3D mug cozy that looks like a cottage; it's pretty cute, but I don't know anyone who needs a mug cozy. Mike Vickery offers a nice wall hanging of a nutcracker soldier. Linda Stoltz presents three mini pins in the gift section, two are floral and one is an ark with a rainbow. Lizzie*Kate is represented by a house pillow that is also shown as an ornament. I think I've seen this before, though, and I'm thinking it was in a calendar. Finally Cecilia Turner (Heart in Hand) contributes "A Right Jolly Old Elf" which is a Santa who is wearing a patchwork jacket. I'm positive that this one was in a magazine as well. These books are widely available on the internet. Lots of people get them because they are on automatic delivery, then don't send them back in time for a refund. That's how some of these places make money: we're too lazy! So, anyway, as the lazies make a bid to get some of their money back, you can get these "used" just about everywhere.

Kymm wanted to know where I found the Ewe & Eye & Friends pattern. I bought mine at Elegant Stitch, but they don’t seem to have it on their website anymore. I was able to find it at Homespun Samplar. I've never ordered from them, but they have a great sale page. And lots and lots of Ewe & Eye.

Finally, as a treat for reading, here's my progress on MLI's Enchanted Alphabet. I'm using the Needle Necessities conversion. I wrote in tedious detail about that here.

Book Review: Organizing Your Craft Space

Organizing Your Craft Space gives some straightforward advice to organizing your craft space. Imagine! The book is divided by type of craft: rubberstamping and stenciling, scrapbooking, paper crafting, quilting, stained glass and mosaics, beading, and yarn crafts and needlework. I would have to say the weakest section of the book is the one on yarn crafts and needlework. Perhaps it is my bias as a needleworker, but they didn't seem particularly inspired in their suggestions. Plus, they didn't have a “guest artist” whose craft of choice was knitting, crochet, or needlework. (Guest artists included Dee Gruening (stamping), Anna Corba (paper crafting), Sandi Genovese (scrapbooking), Freddy Moran (quilting), Susan Pickering Rothamel (stamping), Suze Weinberg (stamping), and Linda Woodward (stained glass).)

Ultimately, most of us are probably cross-over crafters and we'll all find something useful in this book about organizing our particular mix, taking a bit of inspiration here and more from there.

The book begins with a sort of schedule for organizing your room. It's a little remedial which the most disorganized of us really need. Two quizzes follow. Purportedly, these assessments will tell you what kind of style you have and what colors you should use to decorate. I thought these were a crock o’ baloney. First of all I scored 8 As, 8 Bs, 2 Cs, and 7 Ds. Am I an A, B or D? A leader? An idealist? Indeed. The "personality assessment"--to choose your colors--came up 9 As, 7 Bs, 10 Cs, and 7 Ds. Color C is Fire/red and I should choose this because I'm a hard worker always striving to be my best. Yes, right. And the tooth fairy's dropping by later this week to stamp with me. I got your personality right here. I want a green room, and green was not one of the choices.

An interesting thing about the book is the various styles that people use. There is something sort of appealing about every flat surface being empty—more room to work—but ultimately, that style seems sterile. In fact when I showed my sister how the paper storage unit I wanted would look in a craft room she said, "That place looks like a store!" (It had more than one of those units.) She's right. It didn't seem like a place people lived. When I think about what I want the room to be like, I think I want empty flat surfaces for doing what I do, but I don’t like the way those rooms feel. Empty flat surfaces are utilitarian but not inspiring. When I was perusing the pictures in this book, I liked the ones that had wooden sets of drawers, the ones where the furniture had meaning and personality, not necessarily just utilitarian furniture. I know wooden drawers aren't entirely practical since I don't have x-ray vision to see through wood. Plus they can be expensive. I know I can afford plastic, but would I want to work in that room?

There were no suggestion for locating the storage or other items used in the rooms. Like I have time to scour stores for this crap. I want to get to work!

So, back to what was so bad about their suggestions for needlework: they put floss in old cigar boxes and Krienik spools in glass jars. Oh, sure they look pretty, but doing those things is about as practical as these suggestions: "Empty floor space can be a great place to stack books [which can] serve as a makeshift table for displaying cute knickknacks or fresh flowers," and "Personally, I like to organize my books by color." I don’t know about you, but how am I going to use a book that's on the bottom of the "makeshift table" that's holding the knick knack collection? I’m not. And if I'm not going to use the books, what are they doing taking up space in my room? As for visual organization, I don't get it. Oh yeah, that pattern is in my orange book. This is why they write descriptive titles on the spines, people.

I really enjoyed seeing the pictures of other people's spaces—and there are a few that aren't dedicated rooms, one space is just part of a bedroom, for instance. I have a better sense of what I like and I know where I can compromise and where I cannot. The styles range from sterile galvanized tin storage to pretty shabby chic florals to wild burst of color so there really is something for everyone in this book.
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Last Saturday I popped into Mar-Stans the local unfinished furniture place. I looked at kitchen islands, but they were pretty expensive, and none of them seemed big enough. If I rely on this sense of seeming big enough I'm going to end up with a huge table. The room's going to be all table. It's like when I was a single girl in New York City, and I had the tiniest bedroom that I filled up with my queen size bed. When you walked into my bedroom you were on the bed. Oh, those were the days...but I digress. So we kept looking around the unfinished furniture because Sissy and I both need things for our new houses. (Sissy closes on her townhouse on the 24th!) And then we came to the gathering table. The price is right, it's unfinished so I can choose the color, and it's 54x36 and with the leaf it's 54x54. Perfect! The dude's out of town this week. Boy will he be surprised when he returns!